This invention relates to systems and processes designed to treat monoethylene glycol (MEG) used in the oil and gas industry, especially in offshore locations, to control the formation of hydrates. More particularly, the invention relates to systems and processes that are designed for the simultaneous removal of divalent cations and sulfate from MEG-water streams through the addition of alkalinity and barium ions.
In the oil and gas industry, MEG is widely used in wellheads and pipelines as a hydrate suppressor to prevent hydrate formation at pipeline conditions. On offshore gas production facilities, where the exposure to lower temperatures in subsea pipelines is significant, MEG is in prevalent use for hydrate inhibition. The lean (dry) MEG is injected in the subsea gas pipeline at or near the wellhead and mixes readily with the produced water. The inhibition process is straightforward, with the MEG decreasing the hydrate formation temperature below the operating temperature and thus preventing hydrate blockage of the pipeline.
After use, the MEG is recovered by removing the water and the dissolved salts, which are produced from the well along with the gas. The removal of water is conventionally referred to as MEG regeneration, while the removal of the dissolved salts is conventionally known as MEG reclamation. After regeneration and reclamation, the MEG can be re-used in hydrate control.
If the dissolved salts are not removed, they can form scale in pipelines and in processing equipment. The extent of scaling depends on the concentrations of the ions and process conditions such as temperature, pressure, and the concentration of carbon dioxide. As an example, as the MEG-water stream passes through MEG regeneration, the temperature is raised and scale may form from Na2SO4, CaCO3 from unprecipitated calcium ions, and Mg(OH)2 from unprecipitated magnesium ions. Scaling may reduce the efficiency of flow through the pipelines and cause the failure of downstream treatment processes.
Divalent cations can be removed by adding alkalinity in the form of carbonate ions, hydroxide ions, or both to raise the pH of the solution, which causes the divalent cations to precipitate as insoluble carbonates or hydroxides. However, raising the pH does not remove the sulfate ions. As a result, when the lean MEG is re-injected into the gas production pipeline and mixed with the produced water, the sulfate ions in the lean MEG and the calcium, magnesium, and sulfate ions in the produced water may combine to form scale in the pipeline.
A need exists for systems and processes for removing divalent ions from MEG-water streams in order to improve the efficiency of MEG reclamation and MEG regeneration and to prevent the accumulation of scale inside gas production pipelines and process equipment.